Hi guys!
And I'm back with another chapter! Yuss! :)
I appreciate the number of reads, votes and comments on the last chapter! :) It made me cry internally. Hahaha! jokes! :)
Anyway, I hope you'll like this chapter. :) ENJOY! :)
-mesmerizedmei31 xx
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Chapter 29 - Bottled up?
Cathy knelt in front of the rack full of DVD's. "Anong gusto niyong panoorin?"
"Ikaw na pumili, Cathski," Joseph said in a distant voice. He was slumped on the black leather couch, admiring her as she looked through all the DVD's. She took the horror movie, 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose'. He thought he was going to suffer watching a romantic comedy movie all night since he was with the three girls, but he was mistaken. Don't get him wrong, he likes Titanic but not those cliche chick flicks like 'Mean Girls'.
She popped in the movie and soon enough, it started rolling. She flumped on the empty seat next to Joseph, giving enough space between them. Joseph's heart skipped a beat when her arm grazed his when she sat down. When she was already settled down in her seat, he examined her features. She was wearing a distracted and troubled expression. Flinging his hand gently over her shoulder, he asked worriedly, "Ok ka lang ba, Cathy?"
Cathy faced him and sighed. She vented out the cloud of thought in her mind in a whisper, so that Jing and Dina wouldn't hear what she was going to tell him. "Ano sa tingin mo, Jowsy? Sabihin ko na ba kay ate ngayong gabi?"
Joseph took her right hand and squeezed it lightly. "I think kailangan mo ng sabihin sa kanya. Mas mahirap kung malaman niya sa iba."
She nodded and heaved a deep audible sigh. Joseph touched the side of her face soothingly and tucked the stray lock of hair over her ear. "Wag mo masyado isipin, Cathski. Everything will be alright, okay?"
"Sana nga," she uttered in a soft voice and focused her eyes on his. The gentleness in his eyes made her feel secure and less stressed.
They instantly pulled away from each other when they heard footsteps reverberating towards the entertainment room. She distanced herself farther from him. She was scared of how her older sister would react when she sees them so close.
"Oh, sizzumsss! You're here. Why don't you join us?" Cathy quipped. Internally, she was hoping that she would say 'No'. She pined for this reverse psychology approach to work, so that she won't have to deal with Toni and Joseph having their vexatious and intense moments all over again.
"Chinecheck ko lang kayo. Balikan ko kayo mamaya. Magchat lang kami ni Paul. Behave ha!," Toni explained and told them off, like two teenagers on rebel mode being scolded by their not-so-amused parents. Cathy and Joseph exchanged glances, their eyes swelling out of their sockets. Toni saw this and shot them a questioning look. "Oh, bakit ganyan ang mga tingin niyo? Nagpapaalala lang bilang nakakatanda."
A wide grin was plastered on Cathy's face. She looked at Toni mischievously, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Buti naman inamin mo na matanda ka na talaga, sizumsss.. Apaka honest mo naman ata ngayon. I'm so proud of you. Shhooo prouddd," she teased.
"HA. HA," Toni laughed sarcastically and tossed a red m&m that she had been keeping in her hand straight to Cathy's face. It went in an invisible linear path to her forehead.
"Awww," Cathy groaned exaggeratedly when it landed. "Alam mo minsan... gusto ko na talagang tumawag sa Bantay Bata eh. Shobrangggg sakeeet na ng mga ginagawa mo sa'kin," she retorted with a petulant look etched on her face.
"Oh. Nago-OA ka na naman. And hindi ka na bata... di ka na tatanggapin dun noh," Toni replied - her voice laced with humour and dominance.
Joseph snickered, entertained by Cathy and Toni's banter. Cathy shot him a glare, consequently making Joseph press his lips into a tight line.
Before Toni turn on her heels to head out of the room, she told her sister one last time, "Cathy ha... Behave!" She gave a brief menacing stare at Joseph before she eventually retreated.
Cathy flashed a meaningful look at Joseph. And he immediately identified what her facials were trying to convey. He scooted next to her and Cathy murmured, "Jowsyyy. Hindi ko alam kung paano ko sasabihin kay Ate."
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Toni tossed herself on the bed, exhausted. She panned across the room, landing on the bouquet of roses on her side table. The memories from last night's dinner whizzed through her mind. And it brought the peculiar feeling back to her stomach.
Her phone vibrated. She fished it from her pocket. Paul's name flashed on the screen. She sighed when she realised that she forgot to call Paul.
She swiped the slider using her thumb to answer it.
"Hi, Tin," Paul greeted at the other end of the line.
"Hi, Paul," she replied.
"I miss you. How are you?"
"Okay lang naman. Eto, sobrang pagod... Galing work. I miss you too. Kamusta ka ba diyan?" She straightened up and pushed herself to sit on her bouncy bed. Then, she leaned her back onto the head board.
"I'm okay. I'm having fun. It's great to work with people who has the same vision and interests as me. We work together really well. It has been really fun. How about you? You haven't shared kwento yet about your teleserye with Sam. How was it? How was it working with him again?"
She gulped at what Paul asked. She wasn't expecting that he'll start the conversation with the topic that he wasn't really that comfortable to talk about. She knows that Paul had gotten over the stage when he thinks of Sam as a competition because of jealousy. But, she's also aware that no matter how stronger their relationship gets and no matter how much Paul denies it, the thought of Sam triggers a wary and suspicious part of him.
"Okay naman. Three episodes pa lang nate-tape namin. That's good. Mukhang sobrang nag-eenjoy ka nga. Abot hanggang dito yang ngiti mo." she chuckled.
"I really am."
"Baka naman araw araw ka na naman nagba-bar kaya masayang masaya ka?" Toni asked suspiciously, her brows creasing on her forehead.
"Are we seriously going to fight about this again?"
Toni snorted and rolled her eyes. "Bakit? Inaaway ba kita? Nire-remind lang naman kita. Ayaw lang kitang mapahamak. Ikaw lang mag-isa diyan kaya hindi ko maiwasang mag-alala."
"Okay fine. Let's skip this topic, shall we? Ayaw kong nag-aaway tayo."
"Eh, ikaw nga diyan nagsisimula eh. Tinatanong lang naman kita. Sobra mong defensive."
"Okay... You know what.. I think we're both exhausted from work. I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you."
And with that, he hung up and she chucked her phone under her pillow. Toni and Paul hardly ever fight, but when they do, it's always about time, distance and alcohol. People think they are a perfect pair, especially Toni's supportive fans, but like normal couples, they have flaws and they fight.
"Hayyyy," she groaned. She grazed her hands on either side of her face in annoyance.
She stretched herself out and shoved herself under the white and lush duvet cover of her bed. She, then, rested her head on her white downy pillow and grabbed her phone back. Tonight would be one of those sleepless nights, knowing that she and Paul had a slight misunderstanding to deal with.
Her phone shook in her hands and a text message from Sam appeared on the screen.
"Hi, Tin. Tomorrow ha. 5am. I'll pick you up. :)"
The emoticon at the end of the sentence perked up her demeanour a tad.
Her attention was snatched away when someone knocked on her door. She crawled out from underneath the bed and placed her phone on the side table. She raised to her feet and answered the door.
Cathy stood there closely to Joseph on her side, sporting a worried look on her face.
"Oh? Tapos na yung movie na pinapanood niyo? Ang bilis naman yata," Toni queried, her eyes zeroing on Cathy.
"Hindi ate. Uuwi na si Joseph. Medyo late na rin kasi," Cathy explained, sending a quick glance at Joseph as she talked.
Toni shot her head up the clock and realised how late it was. It was already 11:30pm. It was almost midnight.
"Oo nga noh. Hindi ko na namalayan yung oras.. baka malaman pa ni Mommy na may bisita pa tayong lalaki ng ganitong oras," she replied. Her eyes landed on Joseph. She sent him a mix of penetrating and light-hearted look.
Joseph didn't exactly know how to respond. Cathy gulped and looked away momentarily, finding a sudden interest on the collection of miniature, vintage cars of her dad in the glass rack. Being in the company of her sister and Joseph made her feel so antsy. And it made her think about how worse could it be if he was meeting her father instead.
Abruptly, Cathy turned her head at him as soon as he began to speak. He flashed her a reassuring smile that seemed to say 'Don't worry'. "Thank you po sa pag-imbita sa akin sa dinner, Ms. Toni. Thank you din po sa pag-welcome sa akin sa bahay niyo," Joseph said politely and drew out his hand to her.
Toni's lips tweaked on the corners and stretched across her face. She took his hand and shook it while saying, "You're always welcome, Joseph. Thank you din sa pagsundo sa kapatid ko. And.. Wag mo na akong tawaging Ms. Toni. Ate Toni na lang." Cathy raised her eyebrows in surprise. She wasn't expecting a very thoughtful and benign response from her sister after the exchange of intense and menacing stares between them all afternoon. Cathy sent her an appreciative smile which Toni countered with her very own cheery one.
Joseph beamed at her before releasing his breath that he had no idea he was holding. Cathy took his forearm and hauled him towards the stairs, evading a foreseeable awkward moment between the three of them. Toni watched them retreat and prance down the set of steps. Once they were out of her sight, she returned to her room.
She headed straight to the en suite to wash her face and brush her teeth. Once she finished her night routine, she padded off to her closet to change into her pyjamas. She put on a gray loose-fitting top and trousers with white heart patterns.
Slowly, she settled down onto her queen-sized bed and opened the bottom drawer of her silver side table to grab the bible. At a very young age, her parents had taught her to read the bible first before going to sleep and up until the present time, she made sure she reads a chapter. As soon as she finished perusing and flicking through the Holy Book, she switched the lamp on.
She let her body collapse onto the bouncy mattress. She stared up at the ceiling and in a slow steady breath, she let out a mouthful of air. Getting ready to hit the sack, she slid herself under the sheets and snuggled up the huge pillow beside her. She reached out for her phone to reply to Sam's text.
"Sorry, Sam. To be honest, kaka-engage ko lang.. And I don't think it's a good sight to see the both of us hanging around together.. Although, alam ko naman na walang malisya ang lahat and it's just to catch up.. Ayaw ko lang na kung anu-ano ang isipin ng mga tao. And ayaw ko na ring magka-issue pa. Ano ba kasing meron tomorrow?" she texted back. She was still curious of what Sam had planned in the morning.
Sam's eyebrows creased on his forehead as soon as he read Toni's reply. He was wounded by the fact that her text seemed to slap his face to wake up from a lovely dream and to force him to see the real world. But he was not giving up, not when he already started. He was not going back to the drawing board. Ever.
"Sorry, Toni. I completely understand. Don't worry about it. I'll just see you during the taping tomorrow," he replied with a smirk playing along his lips.
"Thank you for understanding, Sam. See you tomorrow." And with that, she laid down her phone where it was placed before and turned off her bright lamp. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall into a deep slumber.
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Toni tossed and turned in her bed. There was a distant squeaking sound and a soothing music resonating outside her room, disturbing her light sleep. She rubbed sleep from her eyes before opening them and creased her forehead in annoyance. A broken sleep isn't exactly what she had anticipated when she tucked herself warmly under the covers. She leaned her elbows on the bed and pushed herself to sit. Her eyes adjusted to the pitch-dark setting of her room. She stretched her hand out to grab her phone. She turned it on and saw that it was only 4:30 am. At a snail's pace and staggering from waking up from a disrupted sleep, she raised to her feet and used the light of her phone to guide her to the door. She flicked the switch on the wall and in no time, her room lights turned on and shone brightly.
She stepped outside her room and checked Cathy's room if she was the one causing the noise. Cathy usually wakes up early to clean her room. The door creaked open as soon as she turned its silver knob. She popped her head in and saw Cathy sleeping soundly like a log. She lightly closed the door and stepped into the hallway towards the lounge area and the large-spaced veranda. Following the sound, she ended up in front of the entry to the veranda which has an outstanding view of the city.
Mustering all the courage to face the culprit and taking a gulp of air, she began pushing the glass doors open. She was welcomed with wide-eyed Sam. Her eyebrows knitted at the bridge of her nose. 'Anong ginagawa ni Sam dito?', she asked herself internally. As if Sam had read what she had in mind, he explained, "I can't sleep so I went to the restaurant near your house but I still can't sleep. So, I decided to come here and wait until you wake up."
Toni wasn't satisfied with his reasons. Her heart started beating at a fast rate. She didn't know if she was frightened at how the people in her house and Cathy would react if they found Sam or if she was afraid of how Sam was able to enter their house. In a matter of seconds, she concluded that she was scared of both.
"Paano ka nakapunta dito? At anong ginagawa mo dito?" She asked anxiously. Her face distorted in curiosity and fear.
He stepped towards her and ran his thumbs over her drawn eyebrows. "Relax, Toni. Just saying.. I'm not being creepy. I just really wanted to see you. And to answer your question, I'm spiderman. I know how to climb."
Sam's attempt to calm her down and his effort to make her laugh, failed. Toni's pulse sped up and the muscles in her body started to tense. He felt her temperature rising and that's when he knew it was getting serious and he had to give her a convincing explanation.
She was still keen to know what he was doing in her house and how he got to the veranda. As far as she can remember, she said no to Sam's invitation last night. She inquired, her voice higher than normal, "Magkikita naman tayo sa taping mamaya ah. Excited masyado? Be honest nga, Sam. Bakit ka ba talaga nandito? At anoooo? Umakyat ka dito?"
The anxiety curled into his stomach. His knees were starting to get wobbly and he felt his palms moistened. Blood rushed to his cheeks, neck and chest and heat multiplied throughout his whole body. His nerves skyrocketed and his heart lurched from his chest. His mouth became dry. There was one simple reason why he was looking stupid in front of her and why he was standing on her veranda so early in the morning. He had decided to tell her something that he had been practising over and over again in front of the mirror.
He opened his mouth, ready to spill the beans but he felt an invisible hand gripping his throat tightly, choking the words that wanted to escape from his mouth.
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What do you think is Cathy hiding or keeping from her sister? :)
Do you think Sam will finally spill the beans and let the cat out of the bag? :)
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